The Christmas Adventures: Volume One
by BadgerLeopard
Summary: Six festive adventures featuring different incarnations of the Doctor. The stories are: A Holiday for a Time Lord (Tenth Doctor), A Spaceman Came Travelling (Fifth Doctor, Nyssa), The Christmas Conundrum (Fourth Doctor, June Seymour), The Ghost of Christmas Time (Twelfth Doctor), The Horror of Christmas (Eleventh Doctor) and Underneath the Tree (Sixth Doctor, Mel)!
1. The Christmas Conundrum

**The Christmas Conundrum**

**Featuring the Fourth Doctor and June Seymour**

_Drendos, Earth year 2034._

Karl-Vex wondered through the centre of Habitation City One, his hands in his pockets. Christmas lights shone around him, and the Christmas shoppers were slowly filling up the street.  
He had a blue scarf wrapped round his neck, and wore a thick brown coat, which his mother had given him before he had set off to Drendos, all those years ago. He missed his mother, and knew that the Earth, along with all its population, was dead.  
But enough of the negatives, Karl-Vex thought to himself, it's Christmas for goodness sake.

Just as he was about to head inside a nearby supermarket and buy some stollen, however, the lights dimmed, and the entire city descended into darkness. He looked around, frightened by this. A screeching, whistling sound then occurred, as an invisible force rushed through the city. After that, the lights brightened, revealing that Karl-Vex had vanished.

Elsewhere in the universe, a small blue box whizzed through the Time Vortex. This, of course, was the TARDIS, and inside the TARDIS, a man wearing a long coloured scarf and who had curly brown hair - the ship's pilot, the Doctor - stood at the controls, along with his assistant, June. She wore a red velvet jacket, and a light blue frilly shirt.  
"Doctor?" she asked him.  
"Yes, June? Have you thought of somewhere to go?"  
"Yeah - what's Christmas like in space?"  
"Well, I don't know."  
"You mean you haven't checked? This is going to be very interesting then."  
"Indeed. I doubt that aliens would celebrate Christmas, but human colonies will definitely celebrate Christmas. And I have the perfect colony in mind."  
"Do you?"  
"Yes, the planet Drendos. Practically like Earth, apart from having no suns and pink snow."  
June's eyes widened.  
"I'm sorry, did you say 'pink snow'?"  
"Yes I did. Unless you misheard me - did you mishear me?"  
"No."  
The Doctor flicked a switch on the console, and the traditional wheezing and howling, accompanied by the time rotor rising and falling, began to occur. Once the noise had stopped and the time rotor was stable, the Doctor walked out of the TARDIS, June at his side.

Outside the TARDIS, pink snow covered everywhere around the Doctor and June, apart from a small area, which June guessed, was the human colony the Doctor was aiming for.  
"You weren't kidding about the pink snow." June remarked.  
"Quite. Shall we pop in to the colony?"  
"Obviously."  
The Doctor did one of his trademark chuckles, and they began their walk to the colony, the snow crunching beneath them as they trod through it.

When they had reached the colony, June instantly noticed the similarity between Drendos and Earth, as Christmas lights sparkled in shop windows and inflatable santas were everywhere.  
"I see that inflatable Santas are still a thing," the Doctor commented, "but where is everyone, hmm?"  
"I guess that everyone's celebrating Christmas in their own homes then."  
"Hmm. But that's not normal. Something's very wrong here June. And when something's wrong at Christmas, I don't like it. Christmas should be a time for fun, togetherness and satsumas, not empty streets."  
A young woman then emerged from one of the shops, and strolled over to them.  
"You do know that there's a curfew on?" the young woman announced, raising her eyebrows at them. The Doctor and June shared an awkward look.  
"Well, we simply didn't know. We've only just arrived, you see. And we heard that the Christmas here is, well, superb, didn't we June?"  
"Yes, we did. I'm June and this is the Doctor, by the way." June added.  
"I see. You can come into my shop if you don't have anywhere to stay. I'll explain to you what's going on inside."  
"That sounds perfectly reasonable."  
The three of them then strolled towards the young woman's shop, the Doctor's scarf trailing behind him.

Inside the shop, the Doctor plonked himself down onto a large wingback leather armchair, and June stood beside him.  
"You only just arrived, did you say?" the young woman asked.  
"Yes. What's your name again?"  
"Jilana Salis. Call me Jil."  
"Okay then, Jil, tell me and my friend June what exactly has been going on here, omitting no details whatsoever."  
"The curfews began when Karl-Vex disappeared. One day, everyone was shopping, and the lights went out. Some sort of screeching then rushed through the city, and he was gone when the lights came back on again."  
"I see. Have any more people vanished since then?"  
"Yeah. 11 people have gone missing since then, not including Karl-Vex."  
"Which makes 12. But why 12? Why that number?"  
"Doctor," June realised, "I think I know: the 12 days of Christmas. 12 people, 12 days; 1 person per day."  
"So we're dealing with someone who knows their Christmas songs. I think I've had an idea."  
"Please tell me it's a good one, Doctor."  
"Oh, it is: we want to find out who's been taking all the people, so we need to be in the eye of the storm."  
"You mean we're going to try to make someone disappear?"  
"Exactly."

After a short walk, the Doctor, June and Jilana were stood in the exact street where Karl-Vex had gone missing, waiting for the mysterious force to come again.  
In the meantime, the Doctor had whipped out his sonic screwdriver - a stubby tube of metal which had a screwdriver-like attachment at its top end - and was scanning the nearby area, a confused expression on his face.  
"Getting any results?" June quizzed.  
"Traces of Xenon energy, and Vervon particles in the air."  
The Doctor's expression had changed - he had realised something.  
"What? What's wrong?"  
"Vervon! The Vervons: that's what we're up against."  
"And, for everyone who doesn't have as much experience as you, what are the Vervons?"  
"June, the Vervons are gaseous parasites - they hide in the air, and follow their chosen victims everywhere. They slowly edit their victim in order for them to be easily consumable-"  
"They eat people?!"  
"Yes, they do. As I was saying, they slowly edit their victim in order for them to be easily consumable, and when the time is right, they consume them."  
"That means that the missing people aren't missing: they're dead." Jiliana said, grimly.  
"Exactly. And anyone in the colony could be the Vervons' next victim."  
"We need to stop them, before their next victim is consumed!"  
Jiliana then started to run off, soon followed by the Doctor and June.

They soon stopped by Geri-Has, who was walking along with his hands in his pockets, and the lights went out. The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver, and activated it at Geri-Has. A tall grey phantom, dressed in grey rags, then appeared, and rose up into the air.  
"Jil, June: behind me!" the Doctor called, and June and Jil did exactly as he ordered.  
"You are not of this world: who are you?" the Vervon asked, with a screeching tone, pointing a bony finger at him.  
"I'm the Doctor, but I think there's another name that's much preferred in this situation: Santa Claus! And I think you're on the naughty list this year, Vervon!"  
A series of blue waves engulfed the city, disintergrating the Vervon. Once the waves were over, pink snowflakes began to fall from the sky.  
The Doctor, June and Jil then began the long walk, back to the TARDIS.

Outside the TARDIS, they stopped, the Doctor and June turning to face Jil.  
"So this is how you got here." Jil remarked, noticing the small blue box.  
"Oh, this can take us everywhere, can't it June?"  
"Yeah. It's been fun, Jil. But I think the Doctor and I better be off now. We've got places to get to."  
"Indeed. Goodbye June, and I hope you have a wonderful future here." The Doctor then opened the TARDIS doors, before he and June walked inside, and closed the doors behind them. Shortly afterwards, the lamp on the roof glowed and dimmed, and the usual wheezing and growling began, as the TARDIS faded from view.  
"Those two are a very strange bunch." Jil said to herself, before turning round, and walking back to Habitation City One.

**THE END**


	2. A Spaceman Came Travelling

**A Spaceman Came Travelling**

**Featuring the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa**

It was a dark night. The stars shone brightly though, bringing some light to combat the darkness.  
Jospha didn't like the dark. He was always told that the Khamsharva lived in the dark, watching, waiting, hunting. He was afraid of the dark.  
"Jospha," his wife, Entra, said with delight, "shall we visit that stable, over there? There might be an animal or two, sleeping."  
"Are you sure, Entra? Watching sleeping animals is a bit creepy, and I don't like the dark."  
"Why don't you live a little, eh? You never go out at night and you never want to break the law. Come on, let's have some fun before your mother comes round tomorrow."  
He remembered how awkward it was when his mother came round on Christmas Day: the rush to cook the turkey, the rubbish presents she'd buy for them and, overall, the general odour of sprouts after she had eaten twenty dozen of the vegetables.  
"Go on then."

Outside the stable, a large blue police box stood. For a few seconds, nothing happened, before a door opened and a man wearing edwardian cricketing clothes emerged, followed by a young woman dressed in royal robes and who had curly long brown hair.  
"Doctor," Nyssa quizzed, "why have we arrived here? It's just a stable, isn't it?"  
"No, Nyssa," the Doctor answered, sounding tired, "no it is not. This is the hive of the K'andox. A holy race of bodyless minds. These beings make my people look like minnows."  
"Really? They have more power than the Gallifreyans?"  
"Certainly. And they use it for good, unlike some of my people. The K'andox have their own dimension, where they banish those who are not as, shall we say, disciplined and mature as the K'andox that exist in this dimension. They're highly intelligent, and I've come here to protect them."  
"From what?"  
As if in response to her question, a large blinding light lit up the sky behind them. It was a large star, with five sharp points and a large screen in the centre.  
"From that. Come on, Nyssa, we have a species to protect!"

Inside the stable, the Doctor and Nyssa spotted the large crystal casket that was perched on the edge of a baby's cradle. The casket was glowing a bright orange and yet the baby had not noticed the bizarre object.  
"Nyssa, get the casket and bring it to me!" the Doctor ordered, trying to prevent Jospha and Entra from interfering with their mission.  
Nyssa grabbed the casket and rushed over to the Doctor. The two time travellers tried to leave the stable, but were blocked by two armed soldiers. The soldiers wore red armour and helmets which had two black circles for eyeholes.  
_"YOU WILL NOT LEAVE."_ the first soldier ordered, in a deep electronic voice.  
_"YOU WILL GIVE US THE CASKET."_ the second soldier demanded, raising his blaster.  
"No!" the Doctor protested, "This casket is of the K'andox, a very intelligent and innocent species. What have they done to you?"  
_"THEY SLAUGHTERED OUR PEOPLE. THEY ALTERED OUR PAST. THEY DESTROYED OUR WORLD."_ the first soldier explained.  
The Doctor looked horrified.  
"Doctor, how can this be possible?" Nyssa wondered, thinking about what they were about to do.  
"I don't know what to do." the Doctor said, placing the casket in the soldier's hands, "I think we'd better go now, Nyssa. I was certain that the K'andox were perfect, harmonious lifeforms. How could they have done something so destructive? So wrong?"  
_"THEY HAVE GIVEN YOU THE WRONG INFORMATION. THEY SENT YOU TO DO THEIR WORK FOR THEM."_  
Nyssa then realised the real reason why the Doctor had taken the TARDIS here.  
"You were employed by the K'andox?" Nyssa asked him, hands on hips.  
"Nyssa, I had no choice. They said that they were going to kill you."  
"But why, Doctor? What were they going to do with the casket?"  
"I don't know. However, I do know what I'm going to do now."  
He took the casket and hurled it towards the ground.

Once the soldiers had cleared up the wreckage of the casket, the Doctor and Nyssa were left with one question.  
"What should we do with the baby?" Nyssa wondered, deducing that the child was human.  
"I suppose we could take him onboard the TARDIS. But who should we give him to?"  
"I don't know."  
The Doctor then had an idea.  
"I do."

Half an hour later, the Doctor and Nyssa were dragging the cradle towards 223 Tyridon Road.  
"Why have we come here, of all places?"  
"Nyssa, someone very important is living here. Someone responsible and someone who I know can look after a baby boy."  
"And who would that be?"  
"I'll explain later. Come on now, back to the TARDIS."  
The two of them went back inside the TARDIS and left, a few seconds before the door opened and Marie Jones noticed the baby boy in the cradle outside.  
"Thank you, Doctor." she said simply, carrying him inside with a grateful smile.

**THE END**


	3. Underneath the Tree

**Underneath the Tree**

**Featuring the Sixth Doctor and Melanie Bush**

Inside the Time Vortex, an infinity of blue and purple swirls, a small blue police box whizzed through, with its lamp flashing brightly.  
Inside the blue police box, a christmas tree had been placed in one corner of the blank white-grey control room. A curly-haired man wearing a coat that had too many colours was currently occupied placing a present underneath it, whilst his assistant emerged from a nearby door, leading into the infinity of corridors that ran through the machine.  
"Doctor," Mel asked, noticing the present wrapped in red wrapping paper that he held, "what are you doing?"  
"Well, Mel, this in fact is your Christmas present. And, whilst we're on the subject, where is mine?"  
They both looked under the tree and saw only one present: the one that the Doctor had been holding a few moments ago.  
"Ah. I was going to buy you a present when we were on Kajanis but you dragged me away. Can we actually arrive somewhere where there's shops so then I can buy you something?"  
"Perhaps."  
She raised her eyebrows at him.  
"Oh, alright then." he agreed, setting course for Earth in the year 1989.

The TARDIS arrived on a street in Shoreditch, near to the junkyard at Totter's Lane. Mel stepped out, admiring the suburban landscape around her, whilst the Doctor gazed about in confusion.  
"What's wrong?" she quizzed, before noticing the strange gizmo in his hand: it looked like a mobile phone, but with an antenna at the top and it repeatedly bleeped as he moved about.  
"Mel, there's a tear in time and space that leads to somewhere near here and, if I don't find it and stop it, then the whole universe will collapse."  
"So while I go and do some Christmas shopping..."  
"I can save the universe. Yes, that is exactly right."  
He then strolled off, walking towards wherever the bleeping increased.

The trail led to 112 Carnaby Road, where Mr and Ms Hewlis had just managed to put up their Christmas decorations and their young son, Jacob, had placed his Christmas present under the tree. The present was unusually large for someone like Jacob to have bought, which was why the Doctor was so interested in it, when he had burst into the home and had strolled straight towards it.  
"Now what on Earth is this?" he remarked, unwrapping it to reveal a cardboard box. He glanced at the family before opening the box and finding nothing but a white crack in the middle of it. The crack expanded slowly, disintegrating the box and growing in size until it was a metre long.  
"Jacob," Ms Hewlis wondered, "where did you buy that?"  
"I can't remember Mum. I just remember wrapping it up and placing it under the tree." Jacob answered.  
"That must mean that the timelines have been corrupted." the Doctor deduced, "I need to close this before anything falls out of..."  
And as he was about to finish his sentence, the crack widened and a person stepped out: a young man, dressed in a black tuxedo and who had short black hair.  
"Hello. I'm Tybern Jones. And are any of you called the Doctor?" the stranger wondered.  
"Yes. I think I'd better bring you back to my ship." the Doctor said, taking his hand and walking off.

Back in the TARDIS, Tybern was sat on a chair whilst the Doctor and Mel were stood by the console.  
"Tybern, who exactly are you?" the Doctor asked, "Because I've never heard of you."  
"I am the son of Marie Jones, a fellow time traveller who you may have come across. She asked me to deliver a message."  
"What message would that be exactly?"  
"The pathway has been opened."  
Exactly at that moment, the TARDIS console bleeped and whirred with life, shortly before the time rotor rose and fell and the TARDIS wheezed and howled away.  
"Doctor, what did you do? The TARDIS has never been like this before!" Mel exclaimed, holding on whilst the TARDIS surged through the time vortex rapidly.  
"I don't know. But the old girl's found a new pathway and she's keen to travel down it."  
"A pathway to where exactly?"  
He looked at the scanner.  
"To the deep past, long before the Time Lords even existed!"

**THE END**


	4. A Holiday for a Time Lord

**A Holiday For A Time Lord**

**Featuring The Tenth Doctor**

_Harrods, London, 2006._

"So, what would you like for Christmas?" Santa asked the little girl who was sat on his knee. "I would like a pony, and a Barbie set. Will you get them for me Santa?"  
"Of course I will, but if you want to be precise about which pony you'd like, you can come with me!"  
"Really?!"  
"Yes, come on! Ho ho ho!"

The Doctor walked through London, whistling the tune of "Merry Christmas Everyone". He was smiling, as he was on holiday, which he had not done for a long time.  
He planned to visit Harrods, get a few presents for Rose, as he owed her a few, and then go to see Night At The Museum at the BFI.  
Finally, the Doctor could relax.

When the Doctor reached Harrods, he immediately made his way up to the third floor, which was the main area for gifts and also the area for the Santa's Grotto.  
Weirdly though, a girl came up to the Doctor and whispered, "Surrender or you will die Time Lord."  
The girl's mother called the girl to her, but the girl didn't go to her mother. Instead, she transformed into an alien that was vaguely humanoid, but looked rubbery, red and was covered in suckers: a Zygon.  
And as soon as the girl changed, another Zygon emerged from the Santa's grotto wearing a white beard.  
"You know, I can't tell the difference." The Doctor quickly said.  
"Why are you here, on Earth?" The Doctor asked the Santa-Zygon.  
"We came to invade years ago, but our Lord's ship was destroyed by humans. We have come to take our revenge." The Zygon hissed.  
"Really? Vengeance against your warlord's death that occurred 36 years ago, more or less. That's a bit odd for the Zygons, cos you don't usually do vengeance missions."  
"Broton commanded us to, in the case of his death, avenge his death and continue the mission."  
"Well, do you know what? This ends here. I'm the Doctor, and I know what you can hear!"  
And with that, the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver, and aimed it at the stereo near the Santa's Grotto.  
An ear-piercing wail echoed throughout the store, but no-one was in pain except the two Zygons. A few moments later, the Doctor stopped, and the Zygons retreated, before leaving in their ship, concealed in the Santa's Grotto.

In the TARDIS, later that day, the Doctor paused, and considered what he did. He defeated the Zygons, but he wasn't in time to stop the girl from dying.  
He thought to himself, and then smiled. The Doctor had had a brainwave.

"So, what would you like for Christmas?" Santa asked the little girl who was sat on his knee.  
"I would like a pony, and a Barbie set. Will you get them for me Santa?"  
"Of course I will, but if you want to be precise about which pony you'd like, you can come with me!"  
"Really?!"  
"Yes, come on! Ho ho ho!"  
"I don't think so!"  
The Doctor stood, by the entrance to Santa's Grotto.  
"She isn't going to die, but I will let you to copy her image and her mother's image."  
The girl and the Doctor then walked away.

**THE END**


	5. The Horror of Christmas

**The Horror of Christmas**

**Featuring the Eleventh Doctor**

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! Michelle Jones took some more photos of Arbroath Manor, on her camera from the 1970s. She knew that this story about sightings of the Krampus would make her rich. All she needed to do was take some photos and write some notes on what she saw during her stay at the manor.  
There was a crash of lightning and a flash of white light immediately afterwards. She could see the rain pattering down on the ground outside, but in the woods, she could see a tall blue police box.  
And then the doorbell rang.

Michelle went downstairs and opened the door to see a young man dressed in a plum coloured tweed overcoat, grey waistcoat and shirt and a plum bowtie. He also wore black trousers and dark brown loafers, with a fringe of black hair on his head and a chin that stuck out a lot.  
"Hello!" he said with a smile, "I'm the Doctor, resident ghostbuster. Are you the owner?"  
"I'm just staying here for the night. Have you come because of the sightings?"  
The Doctor flashed a wallet at her: his psychic paper.  
"Sightings? Yes, sightings? Sightings of what?"  
"You don't know?"  
"No."  
"I'd better explain then. Come in, unless you want to get wet."

She led the Doctor to the main hall, where he leapt into a leather wingback armchair that was placed just by a roaring fire.  
"So," he wondered, "what have there been sightings of?"  
"Have you ever heard of the Krampus?"  
"I have. I've even encountered it, sort of. It was a very long time ago. When were these sightings? Any links between the dates?"  
"Not as yet, no. But I came here today, obviously, to try and capture it on camera."  
"Why today?"  
She looked at him as if he was the most stupid man ever.  
"It's Christmas Eve. When else should I have come?"  
He smiled.  
"Sorry, I travel a lot. I hardly keep track of the dates."

Suddenly, there was a series of flashes and bangs from upstairs. The two investigators turned towards the direction of the flashes and bangs, shared a look and sprinted towards where the bangs had come from.  
When they reached Michelle's recording equipment, they saw the Krampus in its true form: it was half beast, half skeleton, with sharp, boney horns and a crooked smile on its face.  
"What the hell is that?!" Michelle screamed, backing towards the door.  
"That is the Krampus," the Doctor explained, "and it looks very angry."  
**"Who are you?!"** the Krampus roared, **"This is my domain!"**

"I am the Doctor and you have no place here!"  
**"You are nothing, little man! You are a weak little clown!"**  
"Once yes, but not now."  
The Doctor took out a stick of metal and activated it, making it glow bright green and whirr electronically.  
**"What is that technology?"**  
"That is a sonic screwdriver, and if you do not return to your home dimension, then I will ignite the gas, which will blow up this entire house!"  
**"You lie."**  
The Doctor's face was stern.  
"You really think that?"  
The Krampus backed away and began to fade away.  
**"You may win, Time Lord, but I have a warning for you."**  
"And what's that?"  
**"The Wolf is coming. The Wolf is hungry. The Wolf will burn your hearts and scar your mind for the rest of your lives."**  
And then it vanished, leaving the Doctor with a puzzled expression on his face.  
"The Wolf? Now where have I heard that name before..."

At the door, the Doctor was about to leave when Michelle held out something to him: it was a card with the Doctor's name on it.  
"I just found it on the floor." she explained, "It arrived a few days ago and I knew, as soon as you arrived, that I should give it to you."  
"Thank you. I'll be off now. Have a merry Christmas."  
He then walked back to the TARDIS, went inside and the blue box wheezed and howled away.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor sat on a chair near to the console and opened the card. It had a photograph of him and Amy, his old companion, running away from an alien monster on a distant planet. He then read what was inside, and it was not what he was expecting.

_Hello Doctor,_

_It's been a long time since I saw you. The picture on the front cover shows you and an old friend of yours, I hope. Me and you have met at the wrong times repeatedly, so I hope that this time you know who I am. If you don't, then this is probably not what you're expecting. If you do, then that's good. I hope that we meet up soon, to have a nice celebration. And I wish you a very happy Christmas, Doctor._

_One last thing though. You should find someone. I'm sorry about Amy and Rory, but I have visited them and they want me to tell you that they are alright and living well. They told me that Captain Jack Harkness came to see them, however I know that you're not okay. So, follow my instructions: go to Earth, 1207. Live as a monk there for a few months. All the rest should swiftly fall into place._

_Happy times and places,_

_Marie Jones_

**THE END**


	6. The Ghost of Christmas Time

**The Ghost of Christmas Time**

**Featuring the Twelfth Doctor**

Thomas Newhawk woke up suddenly. He had heard a sharp wheezing and groaning sound coming from his study, so he had sat up.  
"You don't need to know who I am," came an old, Scottish man's voice, crisp and yet smooth, "but I want to show you something, Thomas."  
"Who are you?!" Thomas exclaimed in fear, "And how do you know my name?"  
His answer came shortly afterwards: a grey-haired old man emerged from the shadows, dressed in a red velvet jacket, grey waistcoat and white shirt. A pair of dark blue trousers and black boots completed his unusual attire.  
"I'm the Doctor, and you need to see what I have to show you. Come on."

_Walter Thompson was alone. He had no friends to play with except the snowman that he had made. He had made it so that he could have somebody to talk to. Somebody to confide in. Somebody to hear him._  
_"Hello," came a cheery Scottish voice from behind him, "who have you made there?"_  
_"It's Tiffin, my friend." Walter simply replied, looking confusedly at the old man dressed in velvet and the young man dressed in night clothes.  
__"Tiffin? That's a good name. How is Tiffin going to spend his Christmas then?"_  
_"With his family. He'll buy them all a goose and roast nuts on an open fire."_  
_"An excellent way to spend Christmas. Perhaps it would be improved by this."_  
_The old man in velvet handed Walter a small rectangular stick of chocolate, which he munched on happily with a smile._  
_"That tastes remarkable. What exactly is it?"  
__The old man pulled an awkward face._  
_"Let's just say that I'm letting you have a break."_  
_And the pair of them walked away._

Inside the TARDIS, which Thomas had not gotten used to yet, the Doctor set course for their next destination.  
"So," the Doctor said, whizzing round the console and mashing controls, "we've been to the past, and now we're going to the future. Specifically because I want you to see how your actions will turn out."  
"Why are you doing this?" Thomas asked, "I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"  
"Because I spent quite a bit of time around your era recently, Mr Newhawk, and I didn't like what I heard about you."  
"Why didn't you like what you heard? I did what I did because I had no other choice. I have a business to run and I need to make sure I earn a profit to live off of!"  
"No."  
Thomas stared at him in amazement.  
"No? What do you mean, 'no'?"  
"You have ordinary people to look after. Why couldn't you just find some other self-employed way of making a profit?"  
"I'm a lazy man, Doctor. I like other people to do my work for me."  
"And I like other people to be treated with respect and kindness. It's a pity that that doesn't occur everywhere in the universe."  
And with that, the TARDIS landed with a thud.

The Doctor and Thomas emerged from the TARDIS into a cold graveyard. Snow covered the ground like a sheet of crisp paper, blocking out any signs of vegetable life. The grey, dull gravestrones could be seen scattered all over the graveyard, but there was one certain gravestone that the Doctor was attracted to: Thomas's.  
"Thomas Newhawk: he will not be forgotten," the Doctor read, "and will never be forgiven."  
"No. That can't be right."  
"It is right. Because that _is_ who you are. Unless you change. This is just one timeline out of many: but it can change. This is what will happen if you keep being as you are."  
Thomas thought for a few moments.  
"Take me back. I know what I have to do."

Thomas was back in his bedroom, barely seconds after he had left. The Doctor had vanished and he was alone.  
He went back to sleep.

In the morning, Thomas woke up and ordered that several geese should be cooked, as he was having a banquet later. When asked who he would be inviting, he simply answered that he would make an old man happy.  
And he did.

**THE END**


End file.
